Band delivers hope through rock

June 09, 2006|KAREN RIVERS Tribune Staff Writer

Black Stone Cherry's debut album doesn't hit stores until July 18, but they're already winning fans with the raw, driving single "Lonely Train." The song is a little Soundgarden, a little Staind -- and in the midst of all that aggressive guitar work, the lyrics are a bit unexpected. Do they really sing "you wanna have peace, gotta love one another" between riffs? They do. The four musicians of Black Stone Cherry are small-town Kentucky guys with a sound that's undeniably hard rock. They're part Southern gentleman, part Ozzy Osbourne. "That song was really about our feelings for our friends who had to leave to fight for our country ... (It's) basically about hope," drummer John Fred Young says. "We're a positive band, and we just want to deliver that through hard and heavy music." He's calling from a scratchy cell phone as the band trucks its way through the mountains (and a storm) in their GMC Yukon. They're traveling from Arkansas to Alabama, on tour with Saliva. Tonight, however, they'll be opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Morris Performing Arts Center. "We opened for them one other time, in Tennessee," Young says. "We've been Lynyrd Skynyrd fans ever since we were little. ... Even though we're a hard rock band, our influences go all the way back to the blues and Motown, all the way up to (classic rock)." The members of Black Stone Cherry are all between the ages of 20 and 23. The band consists of Chris Robertson on lead vocals and guitar, Jon Lawhon on bass, Ben Wells on guitar and Young on drums. They've been together for five years. Growing up in the tiny town of Edmonton (two stoplights and no Wal-Mart), the guys didn't have to look far to find some musical influence. Young's father and uncle are founding members of influential country-rock band (and cult favorite), the Kentucky Headhunters. In addition to inheriting some rock star genes, Young also inherited the Headhunters' old "practice house" -- a pretty exciting place for a teen to start a band. "My great-grandmother gave it to my father and uncle back in the 1960s, to have a spot to stay out of trouble. It's been really important to the evolution of (Black Stone Cherry)," Young says. "We'd practice down there every day. We'd get out of school and be there 'til midnight." Although their songs are all full-throttle modern hard-rock, their "southern to the core" roots leave a definite mark on their work. In the midst of their first tour and with their first album coming out next month, they hope that sound will take them far. Young says that people mistakenly think a record deal means instant success. Really, he says it's just "a ticket that gets you a chance." According to Young, Black Stone Cherry is ready to cash that ticket in. "We're excited," he says, "to get out and make something of ourselves." Staff Writer Karen Rivers: (574) 235-6442, krivers@sbtinfo.com